Separable attachment-plug



J. J. KENNEY.

SEPARABLE ATTACHMENT PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED JULY23, I915.

1,341,468. Patented y 25, 1920.

FIG. 1 I FIG-3 WITNESSES 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J'. KENNEY, OF- PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BEST ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH,.PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SEPARABL E ATTACHMENT-PLUG.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that 1, JOHN J. KENNEY, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the-county of Alle- .gheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Separable ,Attachment-Plugs, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to separable attachment plugs, such as are used for making connection from a portable lamp, electric freed from connection to each other whencoupled. A further object of the invention is to provide a separable attachment plug whose members may be coupled to, each other in the usual manner but are arranged to be positively locked to each other and are unlocked by slight motion of one part relative to the other. A further object of the in- ,vention is to provide an attadhment plug having an end contact member of simple construction and providing good electrical connection to its spring contact for making connection to one of the terminals.

Further objects of the invention ,are in partobvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the parts coupled; Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 and showing the fixed terminals disengaged or unlocked from their spring contacts; Fig. 4 is a cross section on -the line 44-4, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view of the cap uncoupled from the body; Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6, Fig. 5; and Figs. 7

to 10 are detail views of the spring contacts.

The plug shown in the drawings comprises the usual body member 1 attached to which is a threaded shell 2 to be screwed into the lamp socket, and a cap 3 to be con led to said body member. 7

T e body 1 and cap 3 are made of any suitable nonconducting material, such as Specification of Letters Patent.

, hard rubber, porcelain, fiber, composition, or

other similar material.

The cap 3 carries-two stationary terminals 4 and5, which project from said cap and are laterally, as at 8, and molded into or otherwise attached to, the material of the cap 3 so as to permanently secure them thereto. The cap also has cavities 9 on its inner face to receive a lateral wing 10' of each terminal into which isthreaded a screw 11 for securing the cord terminals thereto. The cord terminals are attached to the fixed terminal members 4 and 5 of the cap when .said cap is disconnected from the body member, as will be readily. understood.

When the cap and body are assembled in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the stationary terminals 4 and 5 make electrical connection with contacts "12 and 13 carried by the body member and formed of thin sheet metal having. suiiicient resiliency to give Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed July 23, 1915. Serial No. 41,585.

them a spring action. One of said contacts,

3 portion of the body member, a portion of said wing being punched and bent out to form an opening to receive the securing member 15 and a tongue 16 lying at one side of the same. The securing member 15 is to metal bar or rod having a transverse ope] ing 17 through its inner end, said bar being; molded into the material of the body member 1 and permanently secured thereto by said material flowing through the opening 17 The opening in the wing of the contact 12 is made slightly smaller, if anything, than the bar 15, so that it is forced over said bar with a driving fit, giving a good contact between the bar 15 and contact 12 at the edges of said opening and also" along the entire flat surface of the tongue 16.

The other spring contact 13 has a laterally extending wing 18 seated in a depression at one side of the end of the body, and held therein by the screw cap or shell 2, which is sleeved over the end of the body member and has a non-circular opening in its end to receive anon-circular portion of the body to prevent relative rotation there- The contact members 12 and-13 extend longitudinally of the body in the openings 6 and 7 and are preferably bent into channel form to provide side flanges 22. Near the free ends of said members the side flanges 22 are sheared away from the flat body portions of the contact members, and are bent slightly inwardly, as shown at 22 in Figs. 7 and 9, so as to engage with the stationary terminals land 5 and guide them to proper position. The contacts 12 and 13 are also punched out intermediate their ends to provide locking projections 23 having abrupt shoulders 24:. When the terminals 4 and 5 reach final position these projections spring into openings 25 in said terminals and positively lock the cap and shell and prevent accidental separation thereof.

Each corner of the channel shaped portion of the contacts 12 and 13 is bent or pressed inwardly, as at 26, to form two rounded knobs or projections on each con tact.

The cap and shell are assembledin the usual manner by pushing the stationary terminals 4 and 5 into the openings 6 and 7 until locking engagement with the spring contacts 12 and 13 is effected. To disengage the cap and shell, one of said members, such as the cap, is rotated slightly with reference to the other, or to the position shown in Figs. 3' and 4. This twisting movement forces the free ends of the contacts 12 and 13 inwardly, both by the approach of said terminals'towar'd a longitudinal plane between the spring contacts, and also by the engagement of the edges of the terminals with the knobs or projections 26. The'inabling the cap to be readily uncoupled or pulled awayfrom the body member.

The construction described is very simple and provides a firm locking connection be tween the cap and body and also enables said members to be easily disconnected from. each other by a simple movement whenever desired.

What I claim is 1. An-attachment plug, comprising a cap member and a body member, rigid terminals having holes therein carried by the cap and extending into recesses in the base, and cooperating spring contacts having projections in the base, said terminals and contacts be ing adapted to look by relative longitudinal movement and to unlock by relative rotative movement about the axis of the plug.

2. An attachment plug, comprising a cap member and a body member, blade terminals carried by the cap member having indentations therein, and contacts housed in cooperating recesses in the base, said contacts being provided with abrupt rearward projections adapted to engage the indentations of the terminal blades to normally prevent separation of the cap and body members except by a relativerotative movement about the axis of the plug.

3. A separable attachment plug, comprisinga cap and base, terminal blade members carried by the cap and extending-into recesses in the base, spring contact members in the recesses, of the basewith beveled raised lugs having abrupt back edges adapted to engage holes in the terminal blades, and beveled lugs at the edges of the contact members adapted to ride on the terminal blade members upon relative rotation of the cap and shell.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. JOHN J. KENN'EY. Witnesses:

ELBERT L. HYDE,

GLENN H. LENsoHE. 

